Ylyanna
by Azolean
Summary: Exactly what part about me being a geologist jet jock in a galaxy filled with Wraith, going on off-world missions, which I'm just a likely never to come back from one day, while running the entire back end of the military contingent for the entire Atlantis Expedition, in an Ancient city that could be attacked at any time, makes you think that I'm suited to raising a child? Alone.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** Okay, so here's another piece Lorne spawned in my mind. I'll admit, it was originally going to be a much longer piece. However, I've decided to experiment with something. _

_In any case, I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you all enjoy reading it. Don't worry, there will likely be more in a new series I'm probably going to call "The Cursed Colonel". lol_

* * *

 **Chapter One**

"You know, Colonel, when I woke up today I could have sworn you said something about this being an easy day," Major Lorne told Colonel Sheppard over lunch. "Exactly what part of that did I misunderstand?"

Sheppard smirked as he inspected his turkey sandwich. "Okay, so I might have exaggerated the easy part."

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Lorne poked around at his own sandwich half-heartedly.

"What? Is the bread stale?" Sheppard asked, eyeing his second in command critically.

There was no doubt, both of them were tired. Everyone on Atlantis was tired. In the weeks since their return to the Ancient city it had been nothing short of chaos. They had been re-setting up everything that had been taken down, moved, or returned to Earth when the last of the un-ascended Ancients had returned to reclaim their city. Now over the shock of the surprising turn of events that lead them back to the city, things were finally beginning to slow down. But, that just meant more work of a different kind.

"Nope, just not as hungry as I thought I was," Lorne replied, reaching for his coffee instead.

"Well, you better hope it stays relatively easy today. Your team is scheduled to be off to M3V-169 in a couple of hours."

"Yep, Doctor Weir says the Tiors haven't renewed their communications with us, and would like me to see if they're still up for trading."

"You have fun with that," Sheppard said, never one to enjoy diplomatic missions. Those he happily fobbed off on the more personable Major.

Lorne just smirked again, tiredly. He wasn't all that fond of diplomatic missions, himself. They usually involved a lot of sitting around being polite while someone with more letters after their name than good sense did all the negotiating. He preferred to be exploring something. But, then again, the negotiations were already a done deal. Now it was just a matter of resuming open communication. So, all in all, a cake walk mission like this on a planet with an easy-going medieval-era civilization in a comfortable climate might be just the thing for his team. Since their return Lieutenants Keane, Cayton, and Shingleton had all been a bit restless with the never-ending list of unpacking they had to accomplish. If they were lucky, they'd be gone no more than a few hours. At worst, they would be coming back to Atlantis for Weir to renegotiate the trade agreements and be back in a couple of days.

"Atlantis to Lorne. You in there?"

Realizing he had tuned out his CO while mulling over all this, Major Lorne gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Colonel. What was that?"

Sheppard sat back giving the Major a closer examination. "You look like hell."

"Why thank you, sir," he shot back with a cheeky grin that showed off his dimples.

"No, I'm serious. When was the last time you actually slept?"

"Sleep? What is this thing of which you speak?"

Sheppard frowned. He didn't like it when his men were in less than top performance standards unless they were in a crisis and had no choice. Suddenly he was rethinking today's off-world mission.

"Don't worry about it, sir. We've all had a long few weeks. And, before you take me off this mission, Iet me assure you that this is probably just the thing my team needs."

"How so?"

"A quick hike, a quiet village, some fresh air, and an easy mission. What more could we ask for? Besides, who else would you send? You're not likely to find more than two people in the whole city right now that aren't just as run down; yourself included."

"Fair enough. But when you get back, I want you and your team—"

"Don't say it!" Lorne warned with an icy blue-eyed glare. "You know if you tell us we're off duty to relax all hell will break loose."

"Major, I didn't realize you were so superstitious."

"I'm not. You're just a curse," he muttered making the Colonel laugh. Gulping down the last of his coffee Lorne said, "I've got an upbrief with SGA4 in a few minutes. We'll discuss downtime when we get back, safe and sound and in one piece."

"Have fun," Sheppard couldn't resist calling as the Major took his tray and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Stepping through the gate just ahead of Lieutenants Shingleton, Keane, and Cayton, Major Lorne took in the thick vegetation around them. It was just as he remembered. The forest was thick almost to a point of looking like twilight even in broad daylight. The days here were much shorter, though, so it probably was nearing twilight. But the air was fresh and the place peaceful. Signaling to his men that they could take a deep breath and relax a bit, they started the fifteen-minute hike down the narrow road to the village.

Unlike many of the other populated worlds they had visited, this one liked their isolation. The road was a good indicator of how seldom traffic of any kind came through. The occasional pedestrian, maybe a cart or two, was about the most traffic this place saw in a month. For miles and miles outside of this forest there was nothing but farmland. The caste system here was a loose, but friendly one. They enjoyed their privacy by means of a massive stone wall that encircled the entire city. The place always reminded Lorne of the pictures of medieval cities he'd seen in movies, minus the castle. Instead there were many narrow streets lined with three and four-storey stone buildings. In the center of the city was a large communal hall made of carved wood that struck him as being more of something out of a Viking tale.

All in all it was a quiet, unassuming place with people that just liked to farm the land and celebrate their own quiet traditions and history. As they exited the forest with the city wall in sight, Major Lorne sighed at realizing it really was growing dark already. It was never a good idea to drop in uninvited to dinner. But, he was already here. If all went well he'd be back by dinner time on Atlantis. Watching the sun set behind the wall as they approached, the Major realized he suddenly felt edgy.

Something about the place had changed. Slowing his steps he began to examine the surroundings more closely. Without knowing why he was already feeling on high alert. And, his team had picked up on it. They slowed along with him, eyeing their surroundings as he continued to check out the city wall ahead. It didn't take him long, though, to realize what was off. It was quiet. Very quiet. There was no sound of people bustling about within the walls, no smoke rising from chimney fires from the homes, no animals in their pens outside the walls. Just silence.

As they grew closer his fears were confirmed. The city gate stood open and unguarded. Normally they didn't need much of a guard, anyway. Just a lookout on the walls to signal when or if the gate needed to be opened. Signaling his team, he had them spread out a bit so as not to make too much of a target for anything or anyone lying in wait. Carefully he approached the large logs banded together with iron that made up the bulk of the main gate. The silence beyond was staggering. In a city that had housed over five thousand people, the noise was not unlike what one would expect in the middle of New York City sometimes; minus the cars. Today even the wind didn't stir. Repressing a shudder, Major Lorne signaled the others to follow at the ready. Already the sun was dipping behind the western wall and he damn sure didn't want to be caught out in the dark if he didn't have to.

They started with the houses closest to the gate. There were no signs of battle, no stunner marks, and no Wraith corpses. It was as if everyone had just left. But it couldn't have been too quickly. Some of the houses seemed orderly, but dusty. Others could have been abandoned not more than a day ago. One house even still had the remains of a meal on the table, only slightly disturbed by animals. It was chilling to see how quiet and orderly the town was.

"Whatever happened here, it wasn't a culling," Major Lorne finally commented. "Keane, Cayton, take the left side street. Shingleton and I are going right down the main avenue. Parallel us. We're going to meet up at the main hall. Radio if you see anything that might explain what happened."

"Yes, sir."

Major Lorne watched and waited until his two men made it to the end of the block and turned left to parallel them. Then, with a nod to Shingleton, he raised his P90 and continued down the road listening and watching for…anything. At this point a stray cat, dog, or even rat would have been a welcome sign in this eerily quiet place. As they continued the silence just seemed to grow more and more oppressive, making them both edgier. They were less than six blocks from the main meeting hall at the center of the city when the silence was finally broken making both of them nearly jump out of their skins.

There was a metallic screech and then the crashing of wood just two buildings ahead. Both Lorne and Shingleton brought their guns up to the third story where a wooden balcony had just separated from the side of the building and was falling to crash on the ground below. Lieutenant Shingleton had his gun trained on the falling debris expecting something to jump out. Major Lorne, on the other hand, caught the movement of something in the cloud of dust where the balcony had just been moments ago that made his blood run cold. Dropping his P90 he broke into a sprint hearing Shingleton behind him. Before he had a chance to really process what he was doing, he lay down into a skid. His boots impacted the pile of wooden debris stopping him just as something landed on him hard enough to make him wonder how many ribs were just broken.

Struggling to breathe through the shock, Lorne's vision narrowed and faded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It was pure reflex that he held on to the squirming, thrashing thing he'd caught. The wind having been knocked out of him, he could only lay there for a moment until he could shake off the shock and roll onto his side. When his vision finally cleared he found himself holding a child that could not be more than six years old, if his nephews were anything to go by. Still trying to gasp for air after having the wind knocked out of him, he barely registered the fact that she had stopped thrashing and was now curled up in a ball beside him trembling from head to foot.

"Are you hurt?" he finally managed to choke out, recovering from the shock of the impact.

By that point the noise had drawn Cayton and Keane as well as Shingleton. Glancing over his shoulder he found all three with their weapons trained on whatever it was that had taken the Major down.

"Drop 'em," he called. "It's just a kid."

"Jesus…" Shingleton said wide-eyed with shock, squatting nearby. "You caught her."

"Yeah," Lorne said, sitting up with a grunt. Taking a deep breath and confirming nothing was broken, he returned his attention to the trembling ball beside him. "Hey, kid, you alright? Come on, that was a nasty fall. I need to make sure you're—"

Much as would a snake, she uncoiled and tried to make a dash for it. For the second time today his reflexive action caught her. This time he caught her by the arm. That seemed to stop her. Feeling bad about scaring her, he held on to her skinny waist with the other hand. Now uncoiled, he could see she was probably closer to eight, based on her height, but severely malnourished. He could feel her hip bones through the thin rags she wore as clothes.

"Hey! It's okay. Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," he told her trying to soothe her with a calm voice and a smile; only to realize it failed miserably.

Her wide blue eyes in a pale dirty face screamed suspicion, but she froze sitting there with her arm still in his grip; probably more in fear than any kind of obedience. Only then did he begin to take stock of what he was seeing. What he'd originally thought was brown hair was actually a mud-caked red. Her face, arms, legs, and every other visible part of her was a mass of bruises. Plastering a smile on his face again, he hoped it came off comforting and friendly, since it felt more like a rictus. He slowly released her waist, but kept his grip on her arm very gently.

"That's better," he said. "My name is Major Lorne. Do you understand me?"

After a few more seconds of pure terror, she slowly nodded. Now Lorne's smile was genuine.

"That's great. Are you hurt anywhere?"

That made her seem to withdraw in a way he couldn't quite describe. While she didn't physically pull away, it was more of something in her expression. Her face went utterly blank as she quickly shook her head.

"Good," he said, forcing the smile to stay in place. "This is my team. Lieutenant Shingleton, Lieutenant Cayton, and Lieutenant Keane. What's your name?"

Still eyeing them suspiciously, he saw her lips move but couldn't make out what she was trying to say.

"Can you speak?" he finally asked, gently.

Her entire expression fell as she nodded. Pulling down a scarf that had been gently wrapped around her neck, she tilted her head back slightly without taking her eyes off him. Lorne could clearly see the entire front of her neck was one big bruise with several smaller ones to either side. He was unable to keep the smile in place as he realized what those bruises were. He'd seen marks like that before on his sister's neck once upon a time. Forcing down the rage welling in his chest, he nodded.

"It hurts to talk, right?" he asked softly.

For a moment he could have sworn she was going to cry, but she seemed to change her mind. She nodded once and raised her chin almost defiantly.

"That's okay," he assured her. "You don't have to talk, if it hurts. But can you answer some questions by nodding or shaking your head for me?"

The blue eyes blinked as if in surprise, but there was still terror behind them; as if she were expecting him to lash out at any moment.

"We're not here to hurt you. We want to help, okay? If I let you go, will you help me answer some questions?"

Those fearful blue eyes still eyed him suspiciously as if she wasn't really expecting him to let her go. Glancing down at his hand on her arm she brought her eyes back to his as if challenging him and cringing at the same time. Again Lorne smiled as comfortingly as he could. Releasing her arm, he put up both his hand palm-out as non-threateningly as he could. She stepped back until her back was against the wall, well out of arm's reach and sat down.

"That's better," he said with a smile. "I know you can't talk, but can you tell me if there was a Wraith attack?"

She shook her head.

"Did people show up and attack the city?"

She shook her head.

"Did everyone get sick?"

She shook her head.

"Did they all leave?"

She shook her head.

For a moment he cast around in his mind for any possible explanation as to why the city was abandoned. "Is there anyone else here besides you?"

She nodded.

"Can you take me to them?"

She shivered as if cold even though it seemed quite comfortable to him, but she still nodded; even if much more slowly and reluctantly than before. Then again, she was skinny enough to wrap his hands around her waist. It was no surprise she was chilled even in this comfortable weather. Worse, the outfit she was wearing was threadbare cloth pants and shirt that were several sizes too big and looked to be made almost entire of rag patches. Slowly he brought his hands up to his vest while keeping eye contact.

"I'm just going to take this off, okay? I promise, I'm not going to hurt you, okay? So don't go running on me, alright?"

Still trembling, she nodded. Her wide blue eyes followed his hands as he slowly unzipped his vest and shrugged out of it. A moment later he did the same for his jacket. He put his vest back on over his plain black shirt and then made sure the jacket pockets were empty. She watched intently as he moved with deliberate slowness; constantly looking as if she was ready to bolt. He rolled up the sleeves as much as he could hoping they weren't still too long, and then held it up for her.

"Here ya go," he said, holding it out to her with a smile. "You can have this for answering my questions."

For a moment she flinched as if she was about to run.

"Hey, you promised not to run, remember? I promised I wasn't going to hurt you, and I meant it. None of us will hurt you, I promise. This is to keep you warm. That's all."

Major Lorne kept the jacket held out and his hands visible trying to keep the calming smile on his face. He could recall a time when he'd dealt with feral cats that weren't this skittish. Somewhere deep inside a darker part of him swore that if he found whomever had done this to her, he was going to have to break something.

She must have finally come to a decision as she slowly scooted herself to a standing position against the wall. Still trembling from head to foot, she reached out a hand tentatively. Lorne smiled even wider.

"There, see? Just a nice, warm jacket, okay?"

He helped her slip it on, the sleeves just snug enough around her wrists to keep from falling over her hands, while the rest of it hung to her knees. For a moment she blinked down at herself, as if surprised to feel the jacket around herself. When she looked back up her blue eyes were filled with tears that she quickly scrubbed away leaving muddy streaks. As if trying to regain her composure she took a couple of deep breaths.

"Thank you," she croaked in a badly damaged voice.

"Hey, don't hurt yourself. I know your throat must hurt a lot right now," the Major admonished, pulling out a water bottle and a power bar from his vest pockets. "Here, drink this. And this is food. Go ahead and eat if you're hungry."

Still clearly skittish, she took the opened water bottle gingerly, and drank several large gulps; still watching every movement of his hands. Lorne just barely checked a sad sigh. As he expected, she wasn't just malnourished, but likely starving to a point food no longer held any appeal. Nonetheless, he put the power bar in the jacket pocket for her for later. After she'd had her fill of water, he put the cap back on and put the mostly empty bottle in her other pocket.

"There, feel better?"

She shyly nodded with an almost-smile.

"Good. Do you think you can show us where the others are?"

Her expression hooded again, but she nodded slowly once. As he moved to stand up again, she danced back away and to the wall. Deciding it would be better to ignore this than to keep reminding her that he wasn't going to hurt her, he retrieved his P90 from Shingleton.

"Is it dangerous between here and there?" he asked her.

Very deliberately she looked up to the sky. Already it had gone from blue to black and the stars were out. None of the three moons appeared to be out yet, either.

"It's dangerous after dark?" he asked to clarify.

She nodded.

"Then stay close to us. We'll protect you," he told her holding up his gun. "You can lead, but don't get far ahead, okay?"

He watched her nod one time in what seemed determination. Curious, but sensing there was no time for further questions, he turned his attention toward the darkness all around them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Signaling for the other three to be on the lookout in all directions, Major Lorne and the three Lieutenants followed the little girl. Not surprisingly, she led them toward the main hall in the center of town. Once there, however, she didn't lead them in the front doors. She motioned for them to go around to a virtually invisible side door that led into a large storage room. There, she fumbled in the darkness to open a hatch door that led to stone stairs worn smooth with centuries of use. Pulling out his flashlight, Lorne lit the way down the steps. At the bottom, there was a solid, heavy wood door with metal bands holding the boards together. As she reached up to the handle, the Major noticed that she was again trembling from head to foot, but said nothing. Motioning to the others to lower their weapons, he waited for the door to open.

Beyond the doorway was a dark hallway maybe fifteen feet long. It turned a corner that was just barely lit by the orange glow of a fire. From the far end of the hall, around that corner, he could hear voices. For a moment the girl seemed to just freeze, as if she didn't want to go on. Before he could say anything, though, she seemed to stiffen her resolve and marched forward. As expected, they turned the corner and found a large stone-walled room that likely had once been a cellar. There were maybe twenty people the Major could see all looking filthy, hungry, and scared.

The moment one of the men closest to the corridor spotted the girl, his face twisted in rage. He hadn't even spotted Lorne or the others behind her in the shadows when he lashed out.

"Just what the hell are you doing here?" he screamed, grabbing her by the neck.

Lorne froze in shock for a heartbeat as he saw the man grab the girl by the neck and lift her several inches off the ground to slam her into a wall. There was no thought involved for him. He was only surprised in that he hadn't broken the man's arm when he gripped and twisted. The girl fell to the floor choking and gasping while Lorne twisted the man's arm to the breaking point; only stopping when the man let out a scream and dropped to his knees. Behind him he heard his team stepping up with guns drawn. Just barely containing his rage, the Major flung the man away from him in disgust. By this point all eyes were on him and wide with fear as he knelt down to help the girl to her feet.

"I'm not going to ask what that was all about, but it will never happen again. Understand?" he told them simply, holding up the little girl when she stumbled.

"What's it to you? The little demon shouldn't be here, anyway! Ylyanna should have already burned in hell! We should have killed her, but—"

"Enough," Major Lorne cut the man off a little more gruffly than he intended as he moved the girl back toward his team. "My name is Major Lorne. I'm from Atlantis. What happened here? Where is everyone?"

"That demoness brought the other demons!" the man sputtered and screeched. "They came and took people off their farms in the night! Her family was the first, so we know it was them that summoned the demons!"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Are you talking about Wraith? You know, pasty pale, life sucking things that snatch people up in beams of light?"

"No! Didn't you hear me? I said demons!" the man shouted, obviously the spokesman at this point. "They're black as darkness itself, and come out of the shadows of the night. They steal away with the souls of the pure of heart. They've come because _she_ called them."

Turning back toward the girl Lorne saw her cowering in a ball against the wall. He was fairly certain that if Keane hadn't been guarding the hallway she would have already bolted. Dangerous or not, he could see why she would have taken her chances out there with…whatever it was, than in here. Given what he was hearing, he wasn't too sure she wouldn't be safer out there.

"So, what you're telling me is that the better part of your entire city has been kidnapped by demons that come at night?" Lorne repeated, trying to make sense of all this.

"Yes."

"And she led them here?"

"Yes."

"And you're all that's left?"

Looking around the man seemed to slump. "Yes."

"Why didn't you leave? If they only come out at night, you could have gone to the Ancestral Ring. You could have called for help, or gone somewhere else."

"This is our home!" he man shouted, regaining some of his fire. "We will purify ourselves and purge this land of the demons. The Gods will help us!"

 _Uh huh, one of those. Lovely,_ Lorne thought to himself.

He never did understand religious fanaticism. But one thing his time in the Middle-East had taught him was never underestimate the insanity of fanaticism where religion was concerned. Already he classified these people as dangerous in his mind. Turning back toward his men so the locals wouldn't see, he gave them a familiar hand gesture that told them to be on their guard for the locals as well. Turning back, he sighed heavily feeling the exhaustion of the last few weeks.

"I was sent here to remind you of the trade agreement you had with Atlantis. Obviously that's not an issue at this point. What we're needing is for a team to come in here and figure out what's going on. Maybe we can help."

For a moment the man seemed about to argue, but then an idea struck him. "You are from the city of the Ancestors. You are not of the Unclean. If the Gods didn't want you here, you would not have survived the darkness. Perhaps you can help."

Surprised by how easy that had been, Major Lorne struggled to keep the surprise out of his expression. "Okay...In that case, how about you come with us to Atlantis _temporarily_ while we figure this out? It would be safer—"

"No! We will not leave our city, our home!" the man shouted again, as if to squash any protest from the people watching behind him.

 _So much for that,_ Lorne thought with a mental sigh. _It's never that easy. I don't know how, but this has got to be Sheppard's fault. He's the one that said it was going to be an easy day._

Trying to come up with a plan that would satisfy all of them, he eyed the thick boards above his head for a moment. Finally making a decision he nodded to himself.

"Then we'll bring back men and weapons, and we'll figure this out. Will you be safe here for another few hours while we get help?"

"Yes."

Something about the man's expression when he said that set off warning bells. But, with nothing more to go on, the Major had no choice but to let it go.

"Good. Then we'll be back in a few hours at most," he told them, eyeing the frightened little group.

Turning around, he motioned for Keane to lead the way out. He squatted just long enough to pick up the girl, not bothering to make her stand up. For a moment she went stiff as a board in his grip before he murmured something soothing that had her relaxing at least enough for him to hold on to her without hurting her. Struggling to keep his expression neutral, he closed the outer door behind himself with a boot, making it thump satisfyingly hard. Heaving a sigh to calm himself, he turned back to his team he gave them his plan.

"Keane, Shingleton, head to the gate. Radio Atlantis and request backup. Cayton, stay here just inside the door. Something seems…off, here, aside from the obvious. I'm going to take her and sit just inside the main entrance to the hall. Radio me with an update once you've reached the gate."

"Yes, sir," they snapped off smartly.

Orders given, he climbed the stairs behind them still carrying the little girl.

"Did I hear him call you Ylyanna?" Lorne asked as they stood in the doorway to the outside at the top of the stairs.

She nodded, keeping her eyes down.

"Is that your name?" he found himself asking, not sure if that had been some sort of demon name, insult, or something else altogether.

She nodded.

"That's a beautiful name," he told her sincerely, earning a startled look. "Well, Ylyanna, I don't feel safe leaving you down there with them. So I'm going to take you with me, and we're going to keep guard. I need to set you down so I can carry my gun, okay?"

She nodded.

"Can you walk?"

She seemed to think about it for a moment and then nodded.

"Good," he told her smiling proudly. Carefully he set her on her feet. "Are you dizzy?"

She shook her head.

"Good. Now we're going to go around to the front, and sit just inside the doors and wait for the…demons. I want you to stay hidden and don't get in the way, okay?"

She nodded.

"Good," he said again, giving her one last comforting smile and standing up.

Holding his P90 at the ready he stalked quietly around the building. Ylyanna followed making not so much as a whisper of sound with her bare feet.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Keeping the door cracked, Major Lorne watched the darkness. There wasn't as much as a whisper of movement out there. It was as everything was just gone. Not even the wind stirred. He found himself repressing a shudder as he kept watch. The fact that he was watching every shadow without even knowing what he was watching for didn't help matters.

Behind him, against the wall just inside the door, Ylyanna sat in wide-eyed fear. Every so often he would glance at her wondering just what he'd gotten himself into. If he hadn't been worried that the Lieutenants might be attacked out there in the dark, he would have sent her with them so they could get her to safety. For now, here seemed the safest place until help arrived. And then what? What the hell was he going to do with her? She was filthy, starving, and had no place here on this planet. Maybe he could convince Teyla to speak with her people about taking her in. But there wasn't a chance in hell he was going to leave her here; not after what he'd seen.

Lorne estimated that Keane and Shingleton should be approaching the gate about now. He was expecting his radio to go off with an update at any time. So quiet was it that the sound of distant popping alerted him to his men being under attack on the way to the gate even before his radio crackled to life.

"Stay here," he told Ylyanna as he turned on his radio and dashed out the door.

"Cayton, guard the main hall. I'm going after Keane and Shingleton."

"Yes, sir."

"Keane, Shingleton, what's your status?"

The gunfire continued. At a flat run he knew he could get within visual range of the gate in less than ten minutes. He never got that far. Not quite halfway to the gate he found the source of the disturbance. Both Lieutenants were surrounded by a writhing mass of darkness that glistened in the moonlight. In the near total darkness the best he could make out was some kind of seven-foot-tall insect-like creatures. There were too many to count and they were all blending together in the darkness.

"Keane's down, sir," Shingleton finally answered. "We're surrounded."

"Copy that. I'm here," Lorne replied taking aim and firing.

Between the two of them, the writhing mass of creatures between started to disburse somewhat as some of them began falling dead. It was as if they were startled to find they _could_ be hurt. Likely this was the first time they'd encountered any real resistance. He didn't know if they were intelligent or not, but he wasn't taking any chances. While trying not to waste any ammo, he took down as many as he could as they began to turn and disappear into the forest. He moved in, trying to close the gap between himself and the other two.

Suddenly a hoarse, high-pitched scream to his left caught his attention just in time to see a black mass coming for him. He managed to turn just fast enough to get a few shots off, but was still too slow to stop the long appendage the thing aimed at him. The bullets must have thrown it off balance, because instead of piercing his torso, the long, razor sharp black appendage pierced his right thigh. The burst of pain made his knees buckle as he bit back a scream. Struggling to hold on to his P90, he fell to the side inches away from Keane, who was shaking his head and trying to reach for his P90 with a blood-covered hand. Rolling onto his back, Lorne continued to fire already knowing this was not going to end well.

The P90 fire just to his right continued as Shingleton took out a few more. A second later Major Lorne very nearly dropped his P90 as Ylyanna stepped up beside him. Her bare feet and partially exposed legs were all he saw before the P90 she was holding went off, spraying another attacking creature in the torso. The recoil knocked her on her butt beside him, causing her to release the trigger and drop the gun. For a moment his heart nearly stopped. Dropping his gun he grabbed the girl by the jacket and yanked her sideways. He rolled away from the falling creature and curled himself around her. The muscles in his back stiffened in expectation of the blows to come.

After a few heart-stopping seconds the roar of silence finally registered.

The creatures had fled. His brain finally making sense of this, the Major turned his attention to his men. Shingleton was wrapping Keane's left arm with a field bandage to slow the bleeding. Shingleton himself seemed rattled, but unharmed. Looking down at the terrified girl in his arms, he noticed the blood on her lips. For a moment he checked her over visually for other injuries. She must have bit her lip at some point, because that was the only blood he found.

"Are you hurt?" he finally asked.

Ylyanna was shaking so badly it took him a moment to realize she'd shaken her head.

"I told you to stay put," he said angrily, the pain in his thigh flaring.

Shaking badly enough to have trouble moving away, she sat up and scooted backward away from him. The terror on her face almost made him regret his harsh tone. Almost.

"Sir, your leg," Shingleton said, falling to his knees beside the Major.

Before Lorne could say anything, Shingleton had leaned forward and pressed both his hands to the wound making Lorne bite off a coarse curse. Shaking off the momentary shock of the pain Lorne looked down and had to bite his tongue against another curse. He was sitting in a pool of blood big enough to tell him there had been arterial damage. Quickly he began to undo his belt. He knew he had seconds, possibly a couple of minutes before the blood loss would start to get to him. Shingleton grabbed the belt and wrapped it around the Major's leg over the wound. Pulling as tightly as he could, eliciting another shocked groan of pain from Lorne, the Lieutenant held it in place as Lorne used his knife to poke a new hole in the belt. Once secured, Lorne lay back for a moment trying to clear his head and reformulate a plan.

"Keane?"

"I'm good, sir. Just a scratch," Keane called.

"We can't be more than—"

In the distance they could hear more P90 fire. Even as they were all getting to their feet, their radios came to life. "Sir, the building is surrounded. There's a fire. I can't—"

Before Cayton could say anything else, the radio went dead.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

When Lieutenant Cayton's radio transmission cut off with chilling abruptness, Major Lorne's mind was already picturing the cause. Cursing his leg, Lorne signaled to the others to go on ahead. All he could do at this point was hope Ylyanna either kept up or found a safe place to hide until this was over. With his right leg bound tightly, he found it nearly impossible to run, but did accomplish a sort of hopping lope. He shrugged off the dizziness and struggled to keep up as they all made a mad dash back into the city.

Just barely inside the city gates, and already they could see the blaze. The orange light lit the sky over the entire city. The main hall was engulfed in flames an easy forty feet high. Hoping to find survivors, Lorne took his team toward the blaze. Three blocks away he could already feel the searing heat growing painful. As he got within two blocks of the building, he began to see the charred, still-burning corpses that littered the ground all the way back toward the side of the building where the storage room and cellar door had been.

"Nooooo!" the little, hoarse scream reminded him they were not alone.

Cursing silently, he managed to catch Ylyanna by the hair a split second before she slipped past him at a dead run. He hated himself for the pain it must have caused, but he knew in her wild panic it had likely saved her life. She was still screaming and thrashing when he awkwardly knelt down and pulled her toward him. He turned her head into his chest and away from the burning corpses.

"Don't look, Ylyanna. I'm so sorry. I—"

Suddenly she went limp. Looking down, he sighed. It was probably for the best. If there was any mercy at all in this universe, she wouldn't remember what she had just seen. Still holding her, he turned his eyes back to the burning corpses so close by he could make out the contours of the skulls that began to show through the burning flesh. Somewhere deep inside, he knew one of those was likely to be Lieutenant Cayton. Silently he cursed himself for having left the Lieutenant behind.

Behind him he heard Shingleton turning suddenly with his P90 up. Expecting another attack, Lorne dropped Ylyanna and took up his P90. Still on his knees, he spotted what Shingleton had and gasped.

"Hold your fire," a pained voice grated out at the same time Lorne said, "Cayton!"

Stumbling out of the darkness and looking completely disoriented the Lieutenant held his right hand to his bleeding forehead while his left arm was cradled to his chest. It didn't take a medical doctor to see the arm was broken badly. The blood was seeping right through the sleeve of his jacket.

For a moment, Major Lorne was almost overcome with relief. So far his team was intact. Struggling to think past the shock, he just took stock of their position. Likely there were no survivors. The main hall's floor had been above the cellar in which all of them had been hiding. He had no idea how the blaze had started, and now was not the time to find out. Likely as not, it was the light and the fire that had scared off the creatures. But it wouldn't last long. Before daylight, they would have to make their way to the gate. Attempting to hide wasn't an option since he probably wouldn't last the night. Keane's right arm appeared useless. By the looks of it Cayton's right arm, his firing arm, was good but he was obviously concussed. Ylyanna was unconscious, but uninjured. And then there was his leg. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.

"We've got to get to the gate. It's our only chance," he stated the obvious, accepting Shingleton's hand up.

For a moment he cursed under his breath as the dizziness crashed over him in a wave nearly sending him back to his knees. Shaking it off, he saw Shingleton picking up Ylyanna and positioning her on his left hip and testing the balance. Shingleton, being the one uninjured person among them, needed to be at point.

"No, that won't work," he told the Lieutenant. "Keane, can you hold her like that?"

Keane smiled briefly. "I raised my little brothers. I think I can handle it."

"Good. If you can't, or she slows you down too much, let me know. I'm low on ammo. I'll take your P90," he said, clipping his own to his vest. "Cayton, can you walk?"

"Yes, sir," he replied, struggling back to his feet but swaying only slightly.

"Good, Shingleton, you're on point. Move as fast as you all can. If we run into any more of them, just keep heading for the gate, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

For a while there was silence as three of the four struggled to keep watch in all directions and keep moving toward their destination. Even in their condition the gate wasn't more than a twenty minute walk. Sadly, most of that was going to be a gradual uphill walk when they were all already exhausted. They had just passed the city gates when Ylyanna began to stir. Not wanting to slow down, but seeing she was panicking being held by Keane, Lorne struggled to move up closer.

"Put her down. I'll take her."

"Yes, sir," he replied, just as quietly.

Keane bent his knees just enough to set her down while still walking. When she stumbled, Lorne steadied her with a hand on her shoulder but kept her moving.

"Ylyanna, I'm sorry. I know this is tough, but you're coming with us. We're going to keep you safe. We're going to take you where those things can't get you. Understand?"

In the darkness he thought she nodded, but it didn't really matter. If she ran now, there was no way they could chase her down. Without a word, she continued to walk alongside him. Hoping it was just shock that caused her lack of responsiveness, he kept a hand on her shoulder to guide her along; thankfully giving him something solid to focus on as he battled the encroaching weakness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Still urging Ylyanna along with a hand on her shoulder, Major Lorne and his battered team continued through the darkness toward the gate. It wasn't long, though, before Lorne found himself struggling to stay upright himself. He knew the belt had cut off some of the blood flow, but he'd already lost too much. And then there had been the added run to the city, and now the walk back to the gate. Blood was still seeping around the belt and he knew he was in trouble when he felt the sweat and the shakes set in. Battling to maintain his focus as his thoughts tried to wander, he kept his P90 up and ready despite the dizziness.

He knew the others had slowed down to keep him and Ylyanna in the group. Cursing himself for taking so long to notice he barked, "Pick up the pace! I want out of here before they figure out we're easy meat."

"Yes, sir," they all replied stepping it up just a little.

They were finally within sight of the gate. The Major let himself relax just a hair at realizing they just might make it home without further issue. Bad mistake. Shingleton was jogging the last few feet toward the DHD when the shadows came alive. Much as he had seen before, they were surrounded by clacking, writhing, clicking, hard-shelled creatures that were made of almost pure darkness. Spinning, he caught the ones coming from behind and two coming from the left. . Apparently kidnapping was not on the agenda anymore. These things were out for the kill, now. But, even as he spun to catch another one, he caught sight Ylyanna's little body flying silently through the air as one of the creatures swung an open, sword-like appendage at her.

His heart lurched as Ylyanna's body disappeared in the darkness, but there was nothing he could do for her now. All around the only sound that was heard was their P90 fire as three of the four kept up a steady hail of bullets. Keane, meanwhile, somehow managed to make it the last few feet to the DHD and dial. The sudden flash of light lit up a scene right out of a B-flick horror movie. The creatures' bodies were everywhere. But the living ones were scattering like roaches back into the forest. Just as Lorne had suspected, they obviously they didn't like the light.

Somewhere far away beyond the fog of dizziness and weakness, the Major heard Lieutenant Keane radioing ahead their status. Lorne was just turning to make a mad dash for the gate when he spotted her. Not five feet away Ylyanna was laying curled up into a ball, still wearing his jacket.

"Get through the gate! I'm right behind you!" he shouted to the others.

Limping over, he scooped her up into his arms not even sure if she was dead or alive; and not stopping to check. Either way, he wasn't leaving her here for those creatures. He started his half-run half-stumble toward the gate battling the darkness creeping around the edges of his vision holding her tightly to his chest. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought he heard something behind him, but it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was the watery shimmer of the event horizon in front of him. Not stopping to find out what it was, he threw himself at the glowing, watery surface. An instant before the light enveloped him, he felt something heavy land on his shoulder making him feel as if it had just cut his arm right off.

Major Lorne didn't even have time to gasp at the explosion of agony in his shouler before he found himself falling to the floor in the gate room. Whatever the damn thing was had followed him through the gate. He curled himself around Ylyanna trying to breathe through the pain as more P90 fire sounded just above him. Seconds later he felt the impact and grunted as the thing landed behind him, half on his back. For a moment the roar of his too fast heartbeat was all he heard. Taking deep breaths to try to focus on something other than the pain, he tried to fight back the darkness that was encroaching on his vision.

Somewhere far away he heard voices as the weight was lifted off of him. By this point his right shoulder was on fire and the blood was pouring around his neck and down to the floor. Suddenly there was Doctor Beckett, forcing his eyes open.

"It's alright, Major. I've got her, you can let go," he was coaxing gently trying to move Lorne's numb, useless arms.

Struggling to maintain consciousness he looked around. His team. He had to find his team. He had to know they were safe. Summoning the rest of his strength, he managed to turn his head just enough. Several people he recognized from Carson's medical staff were attending to the rest of his team. Seeing that all three of his men had made it through the gate, he began to relax. Struggling to move limbs that had gone completely numb and would no longer obey his commands, he tried to back away from Ylyanna.

"My God," Carson said, seeing the damage and the blood. "Don't move, Major."

Hefting the girl into his arms Beckett turned and dashed to the nearest gurney. He barked orders to a handful of the people, and she was whisked away. A moment later Carson returned. He gave a cursory apology as he pressed down with his gloved hands on the new wound to Lorne's shoulder.

Somewhere outside himself Lorne felt a flair of pain. Somewhere nearby he heard a brief scream. And then the darkness took him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The next thing Major Lorne became aware of was the world tilting at a crazy angle when he opened his eyes. His right shoulder was throbbing slightly somewhere far away and felt like it weighed many pounds more than it should. At the same time his right thigh was throbbing somewhere else and feeling several times the size it should. Trying to get his bearings, he vaguely recalled the events leading up to this. Struggling to take a deep breath to try to clear his head he found himself nearly gasping as a much sharper pain from his now very, very close right shoulder shocked him back to full awareness. Blinking a few times, he looked around gathering, his scattered thoughts. Catching sight of the monitors and IV's he dropped his spinning head back onto the pillow.

 _Oh yeah, that. Infirmary? Yep. Well, then,_ he thought to himself.

Taking stock of the pain he was in, so far it felt like he was intact; which was a plus. He was already formulating what exactly he would tell Colonel Sheppard about mentioning "easy" days when his fuzzy mind began to register the commotion outside his little nook. So far no one had noticed he was awake. And, by the sounds of it, there was an emergency going on. Trying to pull himself together enough to figure out what said emergency was, he lifted his head again to take a look around, being exceedingly careful not to move his right shoulder. The tension in the faces of every nurse and doctor he saw passing by was obvious.

Suddenly a movement in the bed on his left side had him nearly jumping right out of the bed. He did his best to muffle the curses that slipped past his lips at the sudden movement causing a shock of pain through his shoulder and leg. Taking deep, calming breaths, he forced himself to focus on the pain for a moment until it didn't seem quite so shocking. Now mentally recovering from the shock, he lifted up the sheet with his undamaged left arm. For a moment he thought he was dreaming, or the drugs they'd given him were a lot better than the usual stuff. Lying alongside him on his undamaged side was Ylyanna. Apparently she was so scrawny that they hadn't noticed her yet. She appeared to be sleeping soundly, though, with her back up against him.

"Major, you're awake," he heard Doctor Beckett a few feet away practically skidding to a halt having seen him.

"Yeah, what's going on?" he finally managed to ask despite the cotton mouth he was feeling.

Coming over the doctor poured a cup of water and handed it to him with a straw. "We've a missing patient," he explained.

Somewhere in the sea of drugs and haziness Lorne managed to put it all together. "Ylyanna?"

"Is that her name?"

"Yeah, she didn't tell you?"

"She hasn't spoken a word since she woke up yesterday."

"Yesterday? How long have I been out?"

"Three days. I needed to keep you sedated until I was sure the arterial damage was sufficiently repaired and you've had three surgeries to repair the damage to your right shoulder and clavicle."

For a moment Lorne let that sink in. Yep, he was definitely going to have to have a word with Sheppard about this whole curse thing he had going on.

"Not to worry. You should be good as new in a couple months with some physical therapy," Beckett was quick to assure.

"Sorry, Doc. Guess I'm still a little fuzzy. Here's your missing patient," he said, flipping back the sheet.

"That little…" Carson growled turning on his radio. "Doctor Beckett to Doctor Torres…You can call off the search. We found her…She's in Major Lorne's bed…Yes. Beckett out." For a moment Beckett's expression was more than a little irritated. Then it softened into amusement. "It would seem you've made a friend, Major."

"Yeah, well, not by choice," Lorne grumbled, looking at the sleeping girl.

"So I heard. I got some of the details from Lieutenant Shingleton. Want to fill me in?"

"Maybe when I'm coherent."

"Aye, I can understand that. Torres should be here in a minute with a gurney. We'll get her out of your hair. Colonel Sheppard will—"

As if waking from a nightmare, Ylyanna's eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright. The pain this caused was clear as her face paled and she nearly fell off the bed. Spooked, Carson reached out to steady her. This, of course, only caused her to jump backward practically sitting on top of Major Lorne. Giving a muffled 'oomph' Lorne used his good hand to steady her.

"Whoa, hold on, Ylyanna. It's okay. You're safe," Lorne tried to soothe her through teeth clenched in pain as she started trembling all over again.

Realizing where she was she suddenly slid off of him and rolled over to hold him tightly on his left side. She was shaking from head to foot again, and badly enough to make Lorne think she was crying. Seeing Lorne had the situation under control, Carson stood back for a moment to watch. Once he was certain Ylyanna was settled for the moment, the Major turned his attention back to Carson.

"I don't think I need to elaborate on what she's been through?" he asked, hoping to not have to get specific with her right there.

"No, the scans told me everything," Carson confirmed, his expression darkening.

"Don't make any sudden moves, okay?" he warned.

"Aye, it was just reflex," Carson replied seeming abashed.

Lorne nodded, wishing again for the cup of water. Instead, he pushed away the pull of sleep and gently shook the girl currently trying to burrow into his left side. "Ylyanna?" When he got no response he sighed and began stroking her back. "Come on, Ylyanna. You had him worried about you. I promised you would be safe here, and you are. Doctor Beckett's one of the good guys."

Carson raised an eyebrow at the fact that Lorne would even have to say this, but kept his peace. Still getting no response from the terrified little girl, he patted her back a couple of times.

"Ylyanna, look at me," Lorne finally ordered as gently as he could.

That seemed to get her attention. Slowly she raised her head until she was just able to look at him. Obviously he was having trouble holding his head up, so Beckett stuffed another pillow under it, earning a grateful look from the Major.

"That's better," he told her. "Can you sit up?"

Her blue eyes still wide with fear, Lorne noted the incredibly bright red hair. It wasn't orange, it was a definite natural red that women back on Earth would have spent thousands of dollars achieving. But the dark circles under her eyes combined with the hollow cheeks did nothing to improve her appearance. She still seemed not much better off than she had been the last time he had seen her, but at least she was clean now.

Slowly, with trembling arms she tried to push herself up more so she could slide her legs under her. Carefully Beckett reached over to try to help her earning a kick and a flailed arm in his direction for his efforts. With a scowl he backed off.

"There now. Feel better?" Lorne asked.

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry. Were you hurt?" Lorne asked, remembering her body flying through the air.

Still trembling, she glanced toward Carson before nodding. Lorne could clearly see the terror still in her wide blue eyes.

Heaving a sigh, Carson decided to fill him in. "She received a laceration that extended from under her right arm all the way across her abdomen to her left hip. Your jacket was the only thing that kept her from being…eviscerated," he said, trying to find a word she might not know. "She's all stitched up, but should make a full recovery in a week or so."

"That's great news, Doc. You hear that Ylyanna? You're going to be fine," he told her, trying to summon every bit of enthusiasm he could find.

That's when the tears started. Balling her hands into fists that she dug into her eyes, the girl sobbed silently. Feeling the pain throbbing the longer he was awake and struggling to remain awake, Lorne just managed to keep from sighing.

"I'm sorry, Ylyanna," he said, trying to maintain his patience. "You'll be okay, though. We're going to get you through this and we'll find you another home."

"I don't want another home," she whispered through her tears, her voice still hoarse.

Even with the pain and the drugs, Lorne hurt for her. "I know, little one. But there's nothing there, anymore."

"They were my people. They were all I had. They're gone. But I still want to go home."

Not even sure what to say anymore, Lorne just held her as she practically melted back down into hugging his left side, careful to avoid his injuries. Beckett watched this exchange silently. Lorne could already see the wheels turning. The tenderhearted doctor wasn't about to let this pass. The Major could see, that he was already concocting a plan. Lorne just hoped it was one that would get this poor kid the help she needed and soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Beckett was still watching the girl and the Major, contemplating what he could do, when Doctor Torres arrived with a gurney. Every time either Beckett or Torres came near, Ylyanna would kick or swing at them. A couple of times she even tried to bite them. Already Lorne was struggling with the pain throbbing in tandem in his shoulder and leg and wanted nothing more than to sleep until they were gone. But it appeared there was no way these well-trained doctors were going to be able to deal with one little kid without his help.

"Ylyanna!" Lorne snapped, making her freeze in place staring at him wide-eyed. "That's better. Remember what I said about being safe here?"

Looking ashamed, she nodded.

"Remember what I said about Doctor Beckett being one of the good guys?"

She nodded again, her face red as she turned her eyes to her lap.

"Do you understand that you're hurt, and they're trying to make you better?"

Very slowly, her shoulders slumping until she was almost curled into a ball again she nodded.

"Then why are you making it so hard for them to help?"

By now she was visibly trembling again, though there were no tears. Lorne almost admired her strength, were it not so damned inconvenient right now.

"I'm sorry," he saw her lips move, but no sound came out.

Feeling like he was being too hard on her, Lorne softened his expression and reached out to pat her shoulder. "Don't be sorry, Ylyanna. Help me to understand. You know they won't hurt you, right? Why won't you let them help you get better?"

"I don't want to leave you," she finally whispered. "I don't want you to disappear, too. Please, don't leave me alone, too. Please," she begged mercilessly.

And now it began to make sense to his drug-hazed mind. Feeling like a dolt for not having realized sooner, Lorne lay his head back and flashed a smile at the ceiling. Yep, this was about to get a whole lot more complicated than he ever would have liked. This was definitely Sheppard's fault, and his revenge would be sweet. Dropping the smile, he turned his attention back to Ylylanna. Hugging her to him, he let her lay down holding on to his good side again. Looking over her head at Beckett and Torres he made up his mind.

"Doctor Torres, right?"

She nodded.

"Could you by any chance see if Doctor Hieghtmeyer is free today?"

"Certainly," she said, as if only now realizing that would be a good idea.

"Hey, Carson, can you give me something for the pain that won't knock me out?"

Beckett eyed his patients dubiously. "Aye, but it's likely to leave you a little foggy; and probably won't work half as well."

"That's fine, Doc. It just needs to take the edge off so I can focus. I just need to talk to Heightmeyer for a couple of minutes. Also, would it be okay to move a bed in here or across from me so she can see me?"

For a moment Beckett seemed like he might argue this. They didn't exactly have a pediatric ward around here, since most of their patients were considerably older; but then, it was common for Beckett to put friends and teammates close to each other in case they wanted to keep each other company or keep an eye on one another. Seeing the girl's reaction had been enough to convince him that she was quite attached to the Major. But the question was, how attached was he? The man had to know that Atlantis was no place for children, and that she would likely be sent off to a settlement with one of the native Pegasus Galaxy peoples. Seeing how the man seemed to calm the child, though, and keep her in one place he had to admit, it could simplify things.

"Aye, Major. I'll see what I can do," he finally answered.

"Thanks, Carson," Lorne said, turning his attention back to the trembling child.

The last thing Beckett heard as he started to walk away was, "Are you cold?"

Something told him this was going to be a long week.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

For a few seconds Lorne just lay there letting the little girl cling to him. After a while, though, he realized her trembling had not abated. If anything, it almost seemed more like shivering. Frowning at his hazy thoughts and remembering yet again how much he hated feeling slow and less than perfectly alert, he looked down at her.

"Are you cold?"

Still clinging to him Ylyanna nodded.

Not surprised when he considered how skinny she was, Lorne pointed to the end of the bed, "There's a blanket down there. Why don't you grab that?"

Turning, she saw the one that was covering the lower half of his legs. With shaking hands she pulled it up toward herself, her face had gone pale with the pain.

"Whoa, careful. Doctor Beckett said he patched you up. Let's not undo all his hard work, okay?" Lorne said, trying to give her a reassuring smile he was certain had come out more of a grimace at the idea of what Carson would do to him if anything happened to her.

With his good hand he wrapped the folded blanket around her until he thought she was going to get lost in it. The moment this was accomplished, however, she was right back down to laying half on his left side and clinging to him as if he really would disappear right there. For a while he just let himself drift off a bit trying to ignore the pain. But it wasn't long before Carson returned carrying a few extra items. Eyeballing the tray Beckett set on the table beside the bed, Lorne raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, Major. She took out her IV to make her escape. She's needing fluids, still. And, since you seem so keen on helping her, perhaps you would be willing to coax her into some soup today."

"She hasn't eaten?"

"No."

This time he did heave a sigh. Hopefully his influence would only be needed for a little while longer until Doctor Heightmeyer could get her sorted out. But right now his patience was waning quickly. Instead of addressing this right away, he let Beckett inject his IV with something that spread warmth through his entire body in seconds. For a few seconds he let the relief from the pain wash over him. Still feeling slow and dull-witted, he tried to focus. Seeing Carson waiting on him to get Ylyanna's cooperation, he shook the girl, gently.

"Ylyanna, Doctor Beckett needs to put in another IV, okay?"

Her fist on his chest squeezed tighter as she shook her head slightly.

"Ylyanna, you want to get better right?"

She refused to budge.

"Ylyanna, I know it's scary, and it might hurt a little. But Doctor Beckett is just trying to help you. Don't you trust me?"

That did it. Now her head popped up. Seeming ashamed, she nodded in response to his last question.

"Well, take a look, then. I have one too," he told her pointing at his own. "It lets him keep me hydrated. And it helps him give me stuff for pain. And antibiotics, so I don't get infections. He needs you to have one just like me so we can help you get better."

For a moment she stared in fascination at the clear plastic line. Lorne could practically see the thoughts racing around her mind behind those bright blue eyes. He didn't want to push her. She had to make the decision herself; or the first time they turned their backs on her, she would yank it out again. After a few seconds her expression flashed from curiosity to trust to fear and eventually to a sort of certainty that almost made him smile. She was a tough one. Her mind made up, Ylyanna sat up carefully, obviously in some pain at this point, and turned around to face Beckett. Resolutely she stuck out her arm.

"Good lass," Beckett said, beaming a smile. "I'm not going to promise this won't hurt. It might sting a little. But if you hold still, I'll be as quick as I can."

Her blue eyes determined, she kept her arm out even as she trembled fearfully. Trying to soothe her, Lorne rubbed her back. Beckett inspected the arm seeing the bruising and the little bit of dried blood. Keeping the smile on his face in the hopes of avoiding more kicking and biting, he gently cleaned up the area and put a band aid over it. Then he gently motioned for the other arm.

"I'll need to use the other one this time," he explained, as she reluctantly presented the other arm.

Her right hand now free, she sought out Lorne's hand behind her back. He blamed the drugs for the warm feeling he felt in his chest as he let her hold his hand. Still trembling, Ylyanna held perfectly still as Carson cleaned the area. She watched every move his hands made as he worked. When he pulled out the needle, her free hand squeezed Lorne's almost to the point of being painful.

As if sensing her fear, Beckett hesitated. "You can look away," he told her. "It might not hurt as much that way."

She shook her head biting her lip as if she were about to cry. Seeing that she appeared to be trying to control her trembling. Lorne couldn't help the pride he felt as he watched her hold perfectly still while Beckett gently inserted the needle. Two minutes later he had it taped down, an IV going, and had even injected the IV port with something for the pain. Taking his cue from Lorne, he obviously gave her something that wouldn't knock her out. Still moving slowly and deliberately so as not to spook her, Beckett reached over and secured the blanket around her.

"There ya go, lass. You were the perfect patient. Feeling better?"

Her face still serious and her eyes drooping as the drugs took effect she nodded solemnly.

"Now, I believe, it's time for you to eat," Lorne told her. "Doctor Beckett brought you some soup. You up for a little food? It'll warm you up."

Reluctantly she freed her hands from under the blanket to hold the small bowl. Though it appeared to be mostly broth, there were a few vegetables to give it some substance. Aside from her throat, there was the fact that she had likely not had any substantial food in some time. It might take a while for her body to grow accustomed to it again.

"I'll leave you to it, then," Beckett said, taking the tray with him as he left.

For a while Lorne just lay there letting the drugs work and listening to her eating slowly, almost reluctantly. He had almost dozed off again when he heard the empty bowl being placed on the table. Cracking one eye open a little, he wasn't surprised to see her wrap the blanket around her more tightly and then curl up beside him. In moments she was asleep. With a sigh of relief he let himself drift off, his hand idly rubbing her back that he was happy to feel no longer trembled.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Lorne wasn't sure how long he'd been dozing, but the next thing he became aware of was the sound of whispered conversation nearby. His head still being slightly tilted up due to the doubled-up pillows, he was able to crack his eyes open enough to see Doctor Beckett and Colonel Sheppard discussing something. Even in his drug-fogged mind, it didn't take a McKay to figure out he was the subject of said conversation. Catching sight of the wakening Major, Carson gave a quick smile and nod to his patient as he walked away leaving the Colonel to discuss whatever it was that had brought him here.

"Welcome back, Major," Sheppard said with a grin as he rocked on his heels.

Not missing the mischievous glint in the Colonel's eyes, Lorne also caught sight of the multiple scratches on his face along with the distinct marks of tearing and slashing on the utility vest he was still wearing.

"Colonel?" Lorne replied, struggling to full wakefulness.

"Don't bother getting up on my account," Sheppard said, cheekily crossing his arms and still rocking on his heels.

"Sir?"

"Looks like you've made a friend," Sheppard finally said with a chuckle, unable to keep his amusement to himself.

The confusion was evident on Lorne's face for a moment as he tried to figure out what his CO was talking about. Then a movement under his left arm reminded him. Sheppard very nearly laughed outright at the look of surprise and dawning understanding on his SiC's face. He did have to give the man some slack; after all, Carson definitely had him on the good stuff with those kinds of injuries.

Looking down at the blanket-wrapped bundle under his left arm, Lorne grinned and dropped his head back to the pillow for a moment. Rolling his eyes just for the benefit of the Colonel's amusement, he sighed. Hoping his conversation wouldn't wake up the sleeping girl, he motioned for Sheppard to come closer so they could whisper. Sheppard, obviously highly amused by this, came around the bed on the opposite side from Ylyanna.

"Better me than say, Zalenka, sir," Lorne commented regarding his predicament.

"Fair enough," Sheppard agreed.

"I've got nephews. So there is _some_ experience," he mentioned.

"So you've said," Sheppard replied, still clearly amused.

"You can wipe that thought right out of your head, Colonel," Lorne said, getting serious. "I was hoping to get her talking to Heightmeyer today, and Teyla at some point. I'm hoping the Athosians will take her in."

"Suuure," Sheppard said, not totally giving up the amusement. "Just so you know, there's no rules against raising a family on Atlantis…"

Done with the subject, Lorne groaned and then turned his attention to Sheppard's currently disheveled appearance. "What happened to you?"

Now Sheppard was serious…and pissed. "We went to M3V-169…"

He trailed off when the look of warning crossed Lorne's face as he motioned toward Ylyanna still curled up beside him. He wasn't entirely sure she was asleep, and didn't want to risk her hearing this without Heightmeyer's help. Sheppard nodded in understanding.

"Long story short, Michael was there. Had a research lab in a cave. Looks like the experiment got out of control and he abandoned it."

Clenching his jaw against the expletives that threatened to escape his lips, Lorne gritted his teeth as this sank in. "Anything left there, sir?"

"Not anymore. We took out the whole cave system, and waited around for a few hours. There were no signs of…movement, anywhere after that," he said, choosing his words carefully.

"About what I expected after what I saw," Lorne said, sadly.

"You did good, Major. You brought your team home in one piece. Given what we saw, that's more than anyone should expect."

"Thank you, sir," Lorne replied, still not feeling it. "Anything else I should know?"

"Well, you're going to be out of commission for a while; so paperwork is going to be your new best friend. I've got the rest of your team on downtime until Doctor Beckett discharges you, at least. They earned a break. Afterward, while you and Lieutenants Keane and Cayton are dealing with PT, I'd like to borrow Shingleton to fill in on Captain Ardanowski's team until you're cleared for off-world trips again."

In the back of his mind, Major Lorne cursed himself silently as he struggled to maintain a neutral expression. He blamed the drugs on his total lack of thought for his team. He just knew they were alive when he lost consciousness in the gate room. Beyond that, he hadn't even thought to ask Beckett. Apparently something of his thoughts must have come through his expression because Colonel Sheppard frowned slightly as he finished off his update. Before he could say anything, though, the bundle of blankets beside Lorne shifted and a hollow-cheeked, pale, blue-eyed victim of bed head popped out from under the blanket to stare at Sheppard in terror. Lorne instinctively began to rub her back, soothingly.

"There she is," Sheppard piped up before Lorne could say anything. "So you're the runt Major Lorne dragged home with him."

His eyes wide in shock at the language, Lorne's expression darkened as he opened his mouth to lay into the Colonel; rank be damned.

"Doctor Beckett wasn't kidding. You _are_ scrawny. We're going to have to put some meat on those bones," he said, eyeing the child.

To Lorne's amazement, instead of cowering or trembling Ylyanna's face turned slightly red as if she were embarrassed.

"And you're too quiet, I hear," Sheppard said, crossing his arms. "Quiet kids are creepy. Not as creepy as clowns, but close," he told Lorne with a knowing look.

Again Lorne was about to tear into Sheppard when he felt, rather than heard, Ylyanna giggling.

"The Doc says you'll get your voice back, though. Then we're going to have to put up with…chatter," Sheppard told her, making his disgust clear. "Maybe even squealing, and laughing."

At this Ylyanna made a hand gesture that included her eyes that needed no translation. Sheppard chuckled while Lorne watched in something akin to wonder at this entirely normal childish display. Then Ylyanna yawned widely in another universal signal that needed no translation.

"Still sleepy?" Sheppard asked.

Ylyanna nodded, making her tangled locks bounce.

"Well, I'll let you get some rest, then. You behave for Major Lorne, now. He's not up to babysitting runts with bad attitudes. Oh, and Doctor Beckett, cause if you don't, he'll use the big needles. I would know," Sheppard warned with a grin, making Ylyanna's pale blue eyes go wide.

"He's just kidding," Lorne told her. "Doctor Beckett's really nice."

Sheppard grunted in disagreement but said no more on the subject. As he turned to walk away, curiosity finally got the better of Lorne.

"Sheppard, where did you learn to talk to kids like that?"

Sheppard gave a lop-sided grin. "Those Athosian kids we had hanging around a couple of years ago. They were a nightmare. But for whatever strange reason, they seemed to like me. Figured it can't hurt to treat this runt the same way."

"Runt?" Lorne asked, skeptically before turning to Ylyanna. "Do you know what a runt is?"

Ylyanna, still grinning nodded enthusiastically. Making some sort of complex hand gestures he mostly didn't understand, she eventually put her hands together just a few centimeters apart in a way they took to mean small.

"And it doesn't bother you that he calls you runt?"

Sheppard crossed his arms and leaned against the end of the bed awaiting her answer with a grin. Ylyanna seemed to consider this question seriously.

Finally she took a deep breath and croaked out, "He's like my brother, Yaar."

"There, see?" Sheppard said smugly, "She likes me."

Ylyanna nodded enthusiastically. Lorne just grinned and shook his head in bemusement. Sheppard just gave one last grin and walked off, presumably in search of a shower and some clothes that _didn't_ look like they'd been run through a shredder. Meanwhile, Ylyanna curled up again beside Lorne happily and began to doze off again. Lorne, somewhat more clear-headed than he had been earlier tried to sort out his muddled thoughts. He still felt bad about not asking about his team, sooner; but that was secondary to the problem of Ylyanna. She was definitely growing attached to him. And, if he was perfectly honest with himself, he was a tad bit attached to her. After a few seconds' consideration, though, he blamed that on a combination of drugs and homesickness.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Lorne wasn't sure how long he'd been laying there letting his thoughts chase themselves around as he recalled memories of his nephews and sister and days on Earth that he took for granted. Briefly it crossed his mind to request his recovery be spent on Earth, instead. But that consideration was tossed out as quickly as his growing attachment to Ylyanna. His family and everything he'd known growing up may be on Earth, but Atlantis was his home now. Even though he'd only been here a little over a year, he knew this is where his heart was. That thought made him smile briefly.

"Penny for your thoughts, Major," Doctor Heightmeyer queried quietly seeing Ylyanna asleep.

"Just thinking about home," he told her, not really meaning to answer.

"This one, or the one on Earth?" she asked, stepping up beside the bed.

"Both. How're you doing, Kate?"

Doctor Heightmeyer flashed him a sincere smile. In the year plus that he'd been on Atlantis, they'd become more friends than professional acquaintances. With the position she held as the city shrink, it wasn't terribly often that people wanted to purge themselves of whatever they were thinking and feeling, and then turn around and invite that person out to dinner. But, Lorne was happy to know she'd made a few friends in her time here; himself included.

"I should be asking you that," she replied, eyeing him critically.

"Yep, gonna be laid up for a little while. But, Doctor Beckett worked his usual magic and put me back together again."

"So, Evan, would you like to start with discussing the Humpty Dumpty complex? Or shall we begin with the homesickness?" she teased with a wicked grin.

"Water pistols filled with holy water, and Colonels with curses would be a good place to start," he shot back.

Utterly confused, Kate cocked her head with a grin. "Carson really did give you the good stuff, didn't he?"

Chuckling slightly, Lorne just sighed. "I'm sure by now someone's filled you in on Ylyanna's situation, right?"

Professionalism smoothly back in place in her expression, Heightmeyer frowned slightly eyeing the sleeping child. "Yes," she finally said, not sure how much to say with the girl right there. "Doctor Beckett filled me in on her history. Lieutenant Keane told me about what happened while you were there. And I've already spoken with Teyla. She's a bit occupied, at the moment. But I thought that talking to her, myself, first, would be better."

"You're the head shrinker," Evan teased, mischievousness dancing in his blue eyes. "Whatever you think is best."

"Keep back talking me like that, mister, and you'll find that I can leave enough lumps on your head to swell it, instead," she threatened with a smile. "How long do you think she'll sleep?"

Frowning again, Lorne told her, "She's been waking up from nightmares. She can't talk much, but I can guess their contents."

"Lieutenant Keane said she saw the fire and the bodies?"

"Yes." Again Lorne glanced to the red hair just sticking out from the blanket as if worried she was listening. Heightmeyer caught the hint, but could only give an apologetic shrug. Some things she had to know.

"Beckett said she mentioned still wanting to go home to her people."

Heaving a sigh, Lorne replied, "Yeah, she knows there's nothing left. I suspected as much even before Sheppard confirmed it. But she still thinks of it as her home."

Heightmeyer seemed to mull over this for a moment. Lorne couldn't even guess what was going on in her mind, but he hoped she had some idea of how to help the girl. He knew Kate's specialty wasn't child psychology, but there had to be something in there that could help. While she was still contemplating the situation, the Major caught sight of Teyla winding her way through the infirmary.

"Hey, Teyla. Glad you could make it," Lorne called, warmly. In the year or so he had known the Athosian, she had always been a strong-willed and fair person. The fact that she was another good friend to Kate only further raised her in his esteem, as Kate had few enough true friends it seemed.

"Hello, Major," she replied, smiling back. "I'm sorry for the delay, Kate. We ran into some…resistance, on New Athos." There was no missing the lines of tension around Teyla's eyes as her expression darkened.

"Dare I ask?" Kate queried.

Teyla sighed, heavily shaking her head. "There is a very old belief among my people that those with red hair carry a curse. It has been many generations since anyone with even a hint of red hair has been born among us. Most were sent away, through the Ancestral Ring."

"What?" Lorne asked, incredulously.

Kate sighed heavily. "We had a similar myth on our planet that anyone with red hair was a witch. At least yours were just sent away. Sadly, we executed many of ours."

"What?" Lorne asked again. "Are you serious?"

"Sadly, yes," Kate finally answered him.

"I have found a couple that are willing to take her in, temporarily. But they fully expect that once she is old enough, they will perform the Exile with her, as well."

"You have got to be sh—kidding me," the Major said, just barely catching his phrasing. Again he cursed the drugs making him feel slow and stupid. "So what now?"

Kate and Teyla shared a look. Finally Teyla answered, the frustration clear in her voice, "New Athos is still a safe place for her. Myleena and Tylar are willing to take her in and raise her, but she will not be adopted as an Athosian. Unless you have another idea?"

For a moment Lorne considered maybe waiting until they could approach some other human settlements around the galaxy. Glancing down at the sleeping bundle tucked under his left arm, though, he knew holding out was a bad idea. She was already way too attached to him. And, being perfectly honest with himself, he didn't like the feeling of attachment and protectiveness he was feeling toward her. Already this mess was too complicated for his drugged induced confusion. Better that he separate from her as soon as possible.

"There won't be a problem with visiting her?" he finally asked.

"Not at all, Major."

Lorne continued to consider. Cursing himself silently along with Sheppard for getting him into this mess by promising an easy day, he finally sighed. Catching sight of Kate's carefully neutral expression and Teyla's expectant one, he gave in.

"It's as good as anything."

"Good. Now that that's settled," Heightmeyer started, "when can they come to meet her?"

"They won't," Teyla replied, her frown firmly back in place. "They said they had enough of the city when they were here before. They would like her brought to them when we are ready."

Kate frowned darkly. This was not going at all well. She knew what Ylyanna needed, but going about making it happen in the easiest, least frightening way possible was proving to be problematic. "I don't see that we have much choice," she finally said.

"In that case, I will speak with Doctor Beckett to find out when she will be healed enough. I should be back shortly," Teyla volunteered.

Kate and Lorne watched her walk away, each wrapped in their own thoughts of the situation.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

After Teyla walked away, Kate nodded as if to herself, turning her attention on the now moving bundle of blanket and red hair. Instead of waking up in a panic as she had the last few times, it seems Ylyanna was coming awake more gradually this time. Whether it was from the drugs or just a lack of nightmares, Lorne was happy to note she seemed a little less disoriented and panicked this time as her sleepy, blue eyes met his.

"Morning, sunshine," he teased. "Feeling better?"

The serious look on her face as she contemplated her current state of being nearly made Lorne laugh. He flicked his eyes to Heightmeyer as she waited quietly at the end of the bed. Taking this as a signal, Kate came around the bed on Ylyanna's side.

"Who's your friend, Evan?" she asked, a smile firmly in place.

"Kate, I'd like you to meet Ylyanna. Ylyanna, this is my friend Kate."

"Nice to meet you, Ylyanna. I'd like to be your friend too, if you'll let me."

The expressiveness in that little face as she gave Kate a dubious look before turning to Lorne as if asking permission almost had them both chuckling.

"It's okay, Ylyanna. She won't hurt you. She's my friend. She's going to help you, too. Kind of like Doctor Beckett, but in a different way."

Those blue eyes considered Kate for several moments before she nodded slowly, still clinging to Lorne's side.

"See? Evan trusts me. Will you trust me?" Kate asked, standing far enough back so as not to seem threatening.

The confusion on Ylyanna's face as she turned back to Lorne was clear. She mouthed something that Kate couldn't see, but had Lorne chuckling.

"Yes, that's my first name. Evan."

Just as she was turning her attention back to Kate, Beckett came around the curtain followed by Teyla.

"Ah, there she is," Beckett said cheerily. "I hate to interrupt, but I'm needing to check her sutures and change the bandages."

Grabbing the curtain behind Kate and sliding it all the way to the wall, it revealed another bed some five feet or so away from Lorne's.

"That's okay, Doc. Kate was just introducing herself," Lorne explained.

Instead of addressing the Major, Beckett approached Ylyanna as Heightmeyer slid out of the way toward Teyla at the end of the bed. Leaning down slightly, he smiled for the girl. "As promised, I've arranged a bed for you right next to the Major, here. That way you can see him whenever you want. Will that be okay with you, Ylyanna?"

Her unseen hand under the blanket gripping his hospital gown, Lorne could feel her fist tightening as she eyed the bed. She turned back to him, indecisively and then looked around at everyone. Already he could feel the first tremors as she battled her fear. Lorne rubbed her back gently to soothe her, but he knew this was another decision she had to make for herself.

"I'll be right here, Ylyanna. I'm not going anywhere. Beckett would tie me to the bed if he thought I was crazy enough to try," he assured her soothingly.

Obviously she was feeling overwhelmed as her head and her eyes shot around the room. Spotting an opening, Kate stepped slightly closer and then knelt down until she was below the level of the girl's frightening eyes.

"It's okay, Ylyanna. Remember I asked if you would trust me?"

Ylyanna nodded.

"How about if I come with you? I'll stay over there with you and you can watch Evan from over there the whole time."

She turned back to Lorne, her lip trembling as tears formed in her eyes. He could see she was clearly unhappy with this, but she wanted to please him, too.

"See? I told you Kate would help you," he told her with a smile. "I'll be right here. Kate and Doctor Beckett wouldn't let anything happen to you. And, Teyla, another friend of mine right over there, will make sure nothing happens to me. So I won't disappear, I promise."

Visibly trembling and just shy of outright sobbing, Ylyanna finally gave in and nodded.

"Good, lass," Beckett said, his smile bright. "I'm going to pick you up, now. Don't move, just let me carry you over there slowly. If it hurts too much, just pinch my arm, okay?"

Ylyanna nodded again, her eyes wide with terror.

Carson ignored her fear and just slowly slid his arms under her and lifted, blanket and all. A few tense seconds later she was successfully transferred to the other bed. Feeling the now empty warm spot beside him on the bed, Lorne wasn't sure if his sigh was relief or regret as she was moved away from him. Struggling to stay focused as the throbbing pain was coming back in full force, he kept his smile up for Ylyanna as Beckett gently removed the bandages, cleaned the sutures, and put on fresh bandages. This he followed with another small dose of painkillers, as the pain in her expression was obvious. He tossed Heightmeyer an apologetic glance as Ylyanna yawned and was soon sleeping soundly.

"Sorry, I know she seemed to hold up incredibly well, but even just the moving her likely hurt a lot more than she let on," Beckett explained. "This will probably keep her out for four to six hours. So you may have to resume your conversation tomorrow morning."

"No problem, Carson," Heightmeyer said, waving it off. "We weren't really going to get into much beyond introductions today, anyway."

"I will go check in with Colonel Sheppard, then. Get well soon, Major," Teyla said, turning to make her way back through the infirmary.

"Bye, Teyla," they all called.

"Hey, Doc, now that she's settled, I could use a little something myself."

"Certainly, Major. I'll be right back."

Kate waited just long enough for Beckett to be out of earshot before pouncing. "You? Asking for more drugs?"

"Yeah, I know. Not the best ploy, but it worked, and I actually _do_ need it," Lorne confessed.

"What's going on, then?"

"Look, I don't know about her going to New Athos. Can you go and check it out for yourself, first? I mean, they think her hair is curse. That can't be good."

Understanding dawning on her features, Kate nodded readily. "Of course, I planned on it. I'm not too sure about it myself. But we really don't have another choice, unless…"

Lorne growled to himself. "Really, Kate? I expected the teasing from Sheppard, maybe some of the others. But, you?"

"I wasn't teasing."

Lorne banged his head against the pillow in frustration thinking it wasn't nearly solid enough. "Exactly what part about me being a geologist jet jock in a galaxy filled with Wraith—among other threats—going on off world missions, which I'm just a likely never to come back from one day, while running the entire back end of the military contingent for the entire Atlantis Expedition in an Ancient city that could be attacked at any time makes you think that I'm suited to raising a child? Alone, I might add."

Kate listened in silence, her expression neutral. Once she was sure he was finished she said, "Because I know you, Evan. And I can see—"

"What you want to see, apparently," he growled. "The answer is no. And if you, or anyone else suggests it again, especially within her hearing range, I'm going to do this more like tearing off a band aid. For now, I'm trying to make this as easy on her as possible."

"Even if it's not easy on yourself?"

"Oh for the love of…Kate, I'm tired, I'm in pain, and I really don't want to talk about this right now. Maybe after she's settled somewhere else. But, right now, I just want some of Carson's magic juice and some sleep."

Finally Kate dropped the neutral expression. "You're right. I'm sorry. We can talk later. In the meantime, rest, and I'll go check out the situation on New Athos."

"Thank you," he bit off stiffly.

Frowning in annoyance, Doctor Heightmeyer turned and walked away. The Major, his patience having been strained nearly to the breaking point today, would have hugged Beckett when he returned, if he could have moved. Then again, if he could have moved, he would have vacated the infirmary and probably even the planet to get away from the little girl in the bed beside him that seemed to be turning his head inside out. Instead he sighed in contented relief as he let the darkness take him away to a much nicer, less painful place.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

The next thing Lorne became aware of, was the sound of Carson's voice from somewhere nearby. It could have been hours or days since his conversation with Kate. All he knew for certain was that the pain was still there, but he had changed position slightly, and was sporting fresh bandages and a fresh gown. Slowly the confusion receded as he became more and more aware of the fact that he was once again parked in the infirmary and there was something about a situation that had made him want to hose down his CO with holy water.

Finally the other voice in the room registered. Ronon. And, for that matter, Carson didn't sound too happy. Blinking away the grungy feeling in his eyes, he managed to turn his head enough to see Ylyanna perched on the edge of her bed on the side facing his. And, the only reason she wasn't already in his bed was because Carson had her by the back of her medical gown keeping her from falling off the other side in what appeared to be a desperate scramble to get away.

"What? All I did was smile at her," Ronon said, holding a rag to his face.

Apparently Carson had had enough. "Out!" he snapped. "I'll be out there in a minute."

"Sure thing, Doc," Ronon said, almost looking like a giant, kicked puppy behind the rag.

By this point Ylyanna was about ready to come out of her gown in desperation to get away from the man. Ronon backed up and headed back out to the main infirmary.

"Doc?" Lorne croaked and coughed around his dry throat.

"Hold on just a minute, Major, I've got my hands full."

Shaking off the fuzziness in his thoughts, Lorne shifted his focus to Ylyanna. "Ylyanna, get back on that bed. Now!" he snapped in his best Major's voice, trying to ignore the dry throat and mouth, but only sounding raspy instead.

Looking hurt, Ylyanna froze. Still shaking violently, she scooted far enough back onto the bed that Beckett was able to let go with a sigh of relief. The moment her hands left the bed, though, she pressed them into her eyes sobbing quietly. With her back to him, thankfully she didn't see the thin-lipped angry expression that crossed the doctor's face as she rubbed his forehead for a moment. Seeing she was going to stay put for a moment, he came around to Lorne's bed and moved the cup of water and straw within his reach.

"Thanks, Doc."

Carson just nodded before turning back to the crying little girl. For a moment he stood there as if not sure what to do. Then he relaxed as something occurred to him. He bent down slightly to be at approximate eye level with her.

"Are you going to stay there?" he asked her.

Still crying, Ylyanna nodded; her fists covering her eyes.

"I'll be right back, then."

The moment he was gone, Ylyanna grabbed her blanket and curled up in a ball covering herself completely. Having set the cup of water back on the table, Lorne cleared his throat a couple of times. Feeling alert enough now to maybe hold a conversation and piece together what he missed, he tilted his head back toward her bed.

"Ylyanna?"

She didn't move; unless, of course, you counted the fact that she was a quivering ball of misery.

"Ylyanna, please look at me."

Slowly the blanket came down enough to reveal her miserable blue eyes steadily leaking tears.

"That's better. I only snapped at you because you were making things difficult for Doctor Beckett. You could have hurt yourself going off the side of the bed. You understand that, right?"

Slowly she nodded.

"Okay. I'm guessing Ronon scared you?"

What parts of her face he could see scrunched up as she began sobbing again, almost silently. Lorne almost wanted to chuckle when he recalled what Ronon had come in looking like only moments ago. If he'd moved the rag and smiled through all that blood, it probably would have scared the crap out of him as a kid; and he'd grown up with cheesy 80's horror flicks. Knowing his chuckle would likely not go over too well, he sighed.

"He might look scary, especially with all that blood. But Ronon is just like everyone else here in Atlantis. No one here is going to hurt you, Ylyanna. I promise. Running to me is not going to change that. Besides, do I look like I'm some great protector at the moment?"

Seeming to actually think about this, Ylyanna blinked several times, her tears slowing with her thought.

"Look at me, Ylyanna. My leg, even though you can't see it, is hurt badly enough I can't walk right now. And my right arm is useless. Think about it. What am I going to do if someone does attack?"

Now the tears had nearly stopped as she considered this. Thankfully he was saved from further conversation by Beckett's return. Now he was carrying a bowl of something he kept behind his back. Looking down at Ylyanna, still huddled under her blanket, he smiled.

"I'll bet your throat is still sore, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"And I'm just as certain all that crying didn't help, now did it?"

Looking thoroughly abashed, Ylyanna's frown and nod was almost comical; but Lorne managed not to chuckle. Carson was a different story.

"Well, then, it's good thing I brought something to help with that sore throat of yours. But, there's a catch."

With half-hearted curiosity, she sat up slightly cocking her head in question. The mistrust was clear in those eyes, but Beckett deliberately ignored it.

"You have to promise not to let Major Lorne over there talk you out of it. This is for you only. Understand? You can't share it with him."

Despite the drugs fuzzing his thoughts, Lorne began to catch on. "Hey! That's not fair, Doc."

"This, love, is called ice cream. This flavor is vanilla," he said, with a flourish of the spoon he presented Ylyanna with her first small taste.

At first her face twitched in surprise at the sudden cold in her mouth. But as her taste buds became aware of the flavor and the sweetness, her eyes widened in surprised wonder. Lorne and Beckett both chuckled at the expressions that crossed her face. Carefully Carson handed over the small bowl with two nearly perfect scoops of ice cream.

"There ya go, love. That will make your throat feel much better. Remember, now, you've got to stay over here. Because if you go over there, Major Lorne will steal it."

"Hey! I don't steal. I just beg. Speaking of which, why does she get ice cream for breakfast and I don't?"

Turning around, Carson's grin was downright mischievous. "Breakfast? Who said anything about breakfast, Major? It's nearly suppertime."

"How about for dessert, then?" Lorne asked for Ylyanna's benefit.

"I don't know…"

"Awww, come on, Doc!"

Carson turned to Ylyanna. "What do you think? She he have some?"

Ylyanna nodded enthusiastically, earning another chuckle from Carson. "Very well, then. After supper. In the meantime, I need to see to Ronon's latest injury. Do you need anything before I go, Major?"

Lorne was actually pleasantly surprised to realize all he felt was a dull, distant throbbing at the moment. "No thanks, Doc."

"I'll send Nurse Tania around in a little bit with your supper, then."

"Thanks, Doc."

Settling back down in his bed, Lorne watched Ylyanna excitedly scarfing down the ice cream.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

Her blue eyes bright with wonder, still, she nodded happily. "Thanks," she managed a little better than a whisper but not as bad as a croak.

"Don't push it. It might feel better now, but you're probably still needing time to heal," Lorne warned. "See? They're not so bad. You can trust all of them."

For a while there was just the sound of Ylyanna happily making the bowl of ice cream disappear. Lorne let himself relax and even start to doze off again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Shortly after Ylyanna finished off the last of the ice cream and looked down at the bowl regretfully, Ronon and Carson made a reappearance.

"Ylyanna, Ronon has something he would like to say. Are you going to run this time?"

Her eyes wide with fear as she wrapped the blanket more tightly around herself, Ylyanna shook her head slowly. Beckett stepped back and let Ronon move closer to the end of the bed while still keeping his distance. He now sported a bandage right above his nose where the doctor had presumably stitched him up.

"I'm sorry I scared you earlier," Ronon said. "But no one told me you were such a _tobs_."

"I am not!" she shot back, her somewhat recovered voice cracking in her indignation.

Now Ronon smiled, his grin no less wolfish than any other time that Lorne could tell. "So, you have some backbone after all."

Glaring at him, but clearly not as afraid as before, Ylyanna only barely trembled now.

"Doctor Beckett tells me all your people died on your home planet," Ronon said, taking a step closer.

"Ronon…" Carson said warningly.

Suddenly an idea sparked in Lorne's mind that probably only made sense because he was drugged out of his mind at the moment. For some crazy reason, the idea of Ronon helping Ylyanna adjust made perfect sense.

"No, Doc, she needs to hear this from someone who knows," Lorne interrupted when it seemed Ronon might back off.

Meanwhile Ylyanna's whole face had crumpled as the tears were back in force. Ronon never took his eyes off her as he listened to the exchange, but he did step closer slowly until he was right beside her. Putting one of his huge hands on her head, he rubbed gently; further mussing her already badly snarled hair.

"Hey, Ylyanna."

She rubbed her face with her fists as she continued to cry. "They're all gone."

"I know," Ronon said, choosing a different tactic and sitting on the bed beside her, instead. "And you're all alone now, right?"

Ylyanna's hoarse sobs continued as she nodded.

Turning sideways Ronon slipped an arm under her legs and another around her back. In a move that seemed totally out of place for him, but somehow seemed perfect for that moment, he gently slid her into his lap and held on to her. Carson and Lorne sat back watching in wonder.

"I lost all my people and my home, too. I know it hurts. And that hurt isn't going to go away any time soon. Hopefully never," Ronon told her. "That hurt, that emptiness means you remember them. Never forget them, Ylyanna. As long as you feel that, they're still with you. Good or bad, they were your people and your family. Don't let go of that.

"No one will ever replace them. But there are good people here, too. Let them help you and you'll learn that anywhere can be home, so long as you feel safe. Okay?"

For a wonder, Ylyanna, still sobbing quietly, nodded. Turning to him, she wrapped her scrawny arms around his chest and buried her face in his shirt. He held on to her for another moment before gently gripping her shoulders and moving her back a bit so he could look her in the eyes.

"Hey, maybe one day you can tell me about your home so I can carry that memory, too. And then I'll tell you about Sateda, my home. Sound like a plan?"

She nodded somberly, the tears slowing a bit; probably more out of exhaustion than any real emotional relief.

"Good, but you've got to get better, and be strong. Sateda's memories aren't for weak little kids. You think you're strong enough to handle it?"

Ylyanna's face fell as she slumped her shoulders. Shaking her head sadly, she seemed to withdraw into herself in misery.

"Well, you're young. I'll give you some time. When you're strong enough we'll trade memories, okay?"

Her face serious, she nodded.

"Good, now you need to get some rest and behave for Doctor Beckett. He'll help you get better and grow up strong."

With that, he slid her off his lap and back onto the bed. Hopping off the bed, he ruffled her hair one more time earning an irritated look. He waved to Major Lorne and Doctor Beckett and headed out of the infirmary.

"That man will never cease to amaze me," Carson commented.

"Ditto."

Turning their attention back to Ylyanna, Carson could see she was exhausted. She'd been on quite the emotional roller coaster today, already. He carefully tucked her in, wrapping her in multiple blankets before turning down the lights on her side.

"Can I get you anything, Major?"

"That supper tray you were talking about never arrived," Lorne told him, realizing happily that he was actually feeling hungry.

Frowning in clear irritation, Carson looked around as if trying to spy that nurse that had made him a liar. "Sorry, Major. I'll remedy that shortly. How's the pain?"

"I'm okay, for now."

"Good. I'll be headed out for the night, soon. Doctor Winterford will be on duty tonight. I believe Nurse Bailey will be with him. If the pain gets to be too much, make sure let them know. For the next three or four days I want you still, preferably sleeping. We'll discuss physical therapy in a week or so."

"Got it. Good night, Doc."

Still considering what had just transpired and with no little amazement, Lorne watched Carson exit his little corner of the infirmary. Before long, the promised dinner tray with its utterly disappointing fare was presented by a red-faced Nurse Tania. After that, Lorne decided to do as Beckett requested and slept through most of the night.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

The week that followed was one that Lorne would never forget. It was something right out of a nightmare. As he was able to go longer and longer without the drugs to dull the pain, he became more and more aware of just how unspeakably bored he was. That, in itself, was not unusual for him when stuck in the infirmary. But the constant attention Ylyanna drew right next to him in her boredom was enough to drive him mad. Where normally the Major would have the occasional visitor and be left to the pleasure of a good book or two he kept around just for such occasions, he found himself unable to focus this time as visitor after visitor after visitor stopped by to see him; and by him, they meant his smaller half, Ylyanna.

Of the people he knew personally, and those he actually called friends, he could name at most two who did not go out of their way at some point to visit "him". By the end of the third day Lorne had given up even pretending to read and just waited for the next visitor while talking to Ylyanna or one of the medical staff. With all the attention, Ylyanna quickly got over her fear of everyone that approached and even began to look forward to meeting new people. By the end of the first week she'd regained her voice and was chattering away with a million questions a day. And, before long, Doctor Heightmeyer had the entire story of her experiences out of her. Most of her tears had dried up as she began to absorb the wonders of her new world; so at least there was that much good in this mess.

As he watched her open up and begin to act much more like a normal child, Lorne considered his inconvenienced position worth it. But that didn't stop him from virtually jumping into the wheelchair and zipping out of the infirmary practically leaving a set of burnt rubber skid marks on his way out when it came time for physical therapy. And, for once, he didn't even feel the need to accuse the young, muscular woman of being a sadist. Though he desperately missed his daily jogs and martial arts classes, he was grateful for the time out of the infirmary as well as any exercise at this point. He was already beginning to feel stiff and slow. The fact that his right arm was kept totally immobilized in what felt like half a ton of plaster did nothing to help this feeling.

But the days came and went in relative peace for all of Atlantis. Given what they'd all been through in the last few months, the tedium was welcome, no matter who grumbled what during those weeks. Before long, Lorne was released from the infirmary with strict orders and daily sessions with his PT. Ylyanna had been so occupied with her numerous visitors that she had all but forgotten about him. Or so he thought.

Ylyanna was finally declared not only healed enough, but healthy enough to be released only a few days after Lorne's release. At that point, Kate and Teyla had discussed in great detail her move to New Athos. Though she was clearly disappointed at not being able to stay in Atlantis, she seemed to have come around to the idea. She definitely gave no signs of excitement, but her fear of the move was not such that she couldn't overcome it. On her last day, though, she requested to say goodbye to her friend, Major Evan Lorne. Of course, this was easily arranged.

Lorne had managed to successfully sort out his feelings and deal with the remaining leftovers since his release from the infirmary. Time away from the little girl had done wonders. And, thanks to his earlier threats, no one else had dared even suggest he be the one to raise her. Returning to the confines of his quarters was just another reminder that he was in no position, and Atlantis was no place to raise a kid. Confident in his choice, he readily agreed to join the little "going away party" that had been arranged for Ylyanna in the gate room.

The crowd that had gathered to send her off nearly made his eyes bug out of his head. The little party seemed to include what felt like half the population of Atlantis. It took nearly an hour for everyone to say their goodbyes and move to the back to await the gate dial. Evan had decided to hang back a bit almost hoping she wouldn't notice him. Seeing bright eyes, huge smile, and frizzy red mop of hair, he felt the homesickness for his family creeping up once again. He made a mental note to schedule some time on Earth again soon. His nephews were probably a foot taller now.

As Ylyanna finally caught sight of him, her face lit up like a sunbeam. Viciously crushing any thoughts of how much he wanted kids of his own someday, Evan returned her smile. When she took off at a flat run toward him, he had to repress a wince. Knowing what was coming, he ducked down to catch her. His shoulder twinged a painful reminder of his recent surgeries once he had her securely in his arms.

"You'll come visit me, won't you?" came the inevitable question.

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

She continued to smile as she shook her head and kissed his cheek and then squirmed out of his arms. And that was it. Taking Kate's hand she waved happily at everyone. Doctor Weir gave the order, the gate was dialed, and the event horizon appeared. Teyla, Kate, and Ylyanna stepped through the gate.

Lorne couldn't help the huge sigh of relief at seeing her safely away from her past life, Atlantis, and most especially himself. It was definitely time to talk to Sheppard about a return to Earth. He'd had way too much time on his hands lately to consider his future. It was downright distracting, if not depressing. He needed to continue his recovery and refocus on his goals. His military career was all well and good, and he still had his geology degrees to fall back on; but what about the rest? Until now, he'd never really seriously considered a family of his own; even with his mother's not so subtle reminders of her age and lack of more grandchildren. The fact that it had even crossed his mind now because of one child refugee and too much time on his hands was proof of just that, way too much time on his hands.

Colonel Sheppard was not surprised in the least at Major Lorne's appearance in his office later that night. He'd seen this one coming weeks ago. He was already convinced that the only reason the man hadn't requested medical leave and his rehab on Earth sooner was because of the runt. But that didn't mean he was going to make it easy on him. After some haggling, some coordinating with Beckett and his physical therapist, and a great deal of threats about the piles of paperwork awaiting the Major's return, Sheppard gave him a few weeks. With a knowing grin, Sheppard watched Lorne leave his office. For a guy who actually had a family back on Earth worth visiting, the Major didn't spend nearly enough time with them. But, Sheppard knew, too, how Lorne felt about which planet was home. Much like himself, Lorne felt Atlantis was his home.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

As was arranged, Major Lorne returned to Earth for a few weeks of his recovery to spend some time with his mother and sister. There he relayed the tale that left him in that condition; with some minor modifications, of course. Hearing from his own mother and sister that he'd made the right choice was comforting, but didn't make him miss her any less. His nephews, on the other hand, were so rambunctious he found himself relieved he wasn't raising any of his own all over again. He loved his nephews, but they definitely took after their mother's troublemaking ways.

Feeling much more focused than when he had left, Major Lorne beamed down from the Daedalus ready to resume his normal duties. A week later, he made good on his promise to visit Ylyanna on New Athos. Though Kate had assured him repeatedly before he left that she was in good hands despite her hair being considered a curse, he had to see for himself. The little girl he had last seen leaving through the gate still haunted him. Though the bruises had healed, the scars on hear heart and soul were all too visible to him.

Shortly after arriving in the settlement with Teyla, he caught sight of her red hair as she was running and playing with a group of the Athosian children. Seeing her hair cut so short, he couldn't help the frown. Noticing his frown, Teyla realized what he was watching.

"Is there a problem, Major?"

"Her hair. Is it normal to be that short?" he found himself asking, hoping it wasn't something else.

Her expression showing dawning understanding, Teyla smiled. "Not for little girls, no. However, her hair was such that it was considered…untamable, I believe, was the word Myleena used."

"Myleena's one's of her guardians?"

"Yes, Major. Apparently Ylyanna became so frustrated she cut it all off."

"And she's happy with it?" he pushed, still not buying it. "It has nothing to do with this 'curse' stuff you were talking about?"

"Why don't you talk to her for yourself?"

Lorne opened his mouth as if having changed his mind about seeing her in person, but never got a chance. A sixty pound missile slammed into him literally knocking him off his feet. By the time he recovered from the shock, Teyla was thoroughly scolding a young boy. Coming up behind him were the rest of the children that had been involved in the game.

"Evan!" Ylyanna squealed running.

At least this time he had enough warning to brace himself. He had only just managed to get himself upright when Ylyanna tackled him. She smiled up at him from where she sat in his lap.

"Teyla told me you were coming. You promised to visit, but you never did," she accused him, her young blue eyes screaming irritation. Before he had a chance to respond, she turned to the others. "This is Major Evan Lorne. He's the one that saved me. He killed all the creatures. He nearly lost his arm. I told you he was real. And—"

Lorne found himself staring wide-eyed at Teyla who tried to repress an amused grin as Ylyanna's rapid-fire speech just seemed to go on and on. "Is she always like this?" he mouthed to Teyla over Ylyanna's head.

Teyla, for her part, was trying not to laugh outright at his expression as she nodded. The next thing Lorne knew Ylyanna had hopped off his lap and was tugging his hand trying to get him to follow her. Something about something they built, he recalled from amidst all the chatter. Repressing a chuckle of his own at the feeling he was now dealing with the Ylyanna that he knew would have been nothing but trouble on Atlantis, he let her lead him to their little play house.

By the time he left later that day, he was certain he'd made the right choice. Ylyanna was as energetic, vociferous, and happy as any eight year old could be. With a promise to visit at least once a month, he watched her scamper off with the other children.

~o~o~o~

Six months later when Doctor Keller and Teyla visited New Athos to discover the entire settlement gone, Major Lorne was devastated. Though they managed to recover several of the Athosians and even rescue Teyla, Kanaan, and baby Torren, he could not help the feeling of loss. Ylyanna had not been among those rescued, and no one could recall the last time she had been seen. Once his leg healed Lorne returned to New Athos again and again and again in the vain hope of finding her or some clue what had happened to her. After all this time he had no hope of finding her alive here or anywhere else.

Eventually, as more time passed, he gave up. One day he just didn't have the heart to go back to New Athos anymore and just quit. Though Kate was no longer there to help him with the pain, he did become very well acquainted with the new city psychologist. But nothing she said and nothing he did could seem to fill the hole in his heart left by that pair of missing blue eyes and red hair.

~o~o~o~

Some years later Colonel Lorne, now in charge of Atlantis, married a woman he'd met in the Pegasus Galaxy. The threat of the Wraith now over and other issues dealt with, the communication and travel across so many planets in the galaxy had only broadened. On one such trip to yet another peaceful planet he met the love of his life. And it wasn't long before they had two children that almost filled the hole in his heart.

Lorne and his wife decided to spend one of their precious days off together with the kids on a planet that had essentially become the hub of all trade in the Pegasus Galaxy. This was his wife's favorite place to shop for anything and everything. Lorne had learned long ago to let his wife have her way with decorating and then redecorating their quarters on Atlantis to her heart's content. Besides, he was as much in love with her now as he had been when they met; he could deny her nothing.

Standing back to let her look over some beautiful hand woven rugs, he caught sight of the woman running the stall with a baby in her arms. The red hair was tied back with a scarf, but those blue eyes he would know anywhere.

"Ylyanna?"

"Yes, sir, how can I…Major Lorne?"

Her face had gone so white he almost thought she was going to faint. He reflexively reached across the stack of rugs to steady her. Instead she pulled back and came around the stack of rugs. A moment later he found himself being crushed in a fierce, one-armed hug as she transferred the giggling baby to her hip. He held on to her just as fiercely. He wasn't sure how long they stood there, but somehow he managed to make out through her tears that she had missed him and never thought to see him again.

After a minute or so, he came back to the present enough to introduce his wife and children. It didn't take him long to learn she was just as much of a chatterbox now as she had been as a child. Eventually Ylyanna got around to explaining how she had hidden during the initial attack on New Athos and, lost, had left through the gate to one of the planets the Athosians traded with; since she didn't know the address to Atlantis. Closing up the shop, she took them all to her home to meet her husband, who thanked Lorne profusely for saving her life all those years ago. It didn't take Lorne long to realize she was in good hands with a man who loved her and cherished her.

Finally he could lay to rest the haunting image of those pale blue eyes and red hair he felt he had abandoned all those years ago.


End file.
